The case of footballer Gica Popescu

One of the best Romanian footballers in the past 30 years, former international Gica Popescu, whose life has unexpectedly taken a different turn, has sparked off nation-wide heated debates. Over 20 thousand people have signed an online petition calling for pardoning Popescu, who has recently got a three-year prison sentence for his involvement, together with other figures from the Romanian football, in a fraud case that caused prejudices to the Romanian state of 1.5 million dollars, while several football clubs reported 10 million dollars in losses.

Florentin Căpitănescu, 10.03.2014, 13:39

One of the best Romanian footballers in the past 30 years, former international Gica Popescu, whose life has unexpectedly taken a different turn, has sparked off nation-wide heated debates. Over 20 thousand people have signed an online petition calling for pardoning Popescu, who has recently got a three-year prison sentence for his involvement, together with other figures from the Romanian football, in a fraud case that caused prejudices to the Romanian state of 1.5 million dollars, while several football clubs reported 10 million dollars in losses.

The signatories of the petition are motivating their request by evoking Popescu’s exceptional career as a footballer, the man who, among other things, has won 115 caps for the Romanian national side and become team captain for famous side FC Barcelona. Furthermore, they recall that several years ago the footballer refunded the whole amount of money he was accused of having prejudiced the Romanian state.

An increasing number of high-ranking politicians, such as the Prime Minister and the president of the Chamber of Deputies, journalists, some of Popescu’s former colleagues from the so-called ‘golden generation’ such as Gheorghe Hagi, as well as ordinary people have lately supported the cuase of the former Romanian football legend. On the opposite side there are those for whom justice should be above everything else and for whom the Popescu case could become a dangerous precedent, if the pardon, which is exclusively the remit of the president, were applied.

However, in spite of the pros and cons, the public image of the former glory of the Romanian football has been marred by the sentence and by a shrouded possible cooperation with the former political police the Securitate. Alternatively, the Popescu case calls into attention two contrasting images: one the one hand that of a top-notch footballer, a real ambassador for Romania, as described by his supporters and the concept of justice on the other. Romanian judiciary has lately displayed great strength and independence after having for many years failed to shed lights in many important and difficult cases.

However, ‘the Transfers File’, as it has been called by the press, has thwarted Popescu’s ambitions to administer the Romanian football. The ruling was issued a day before the election for the presidency of the Romanian Football Federation, a position Popescu had been seeking for many years. Sadly, instead of occupying the most-coveted seat in the Federation, Popescu is currently occupying a prison cell.